On a weekend which would originally have seen British Championships action taking place in Manchester, AW photographer Mark Shearman shares some of his stand-out shots from years gone by

Before the coronavirus pandemic, this weekend (June 20-21) would have seen athletes battling for Olympic places and national titles at the Müller British Athletics Championships.

The event had been set to return to Sportcity in Manchester for the first time since 2007, as the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham undergoes redevelopment ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

It is now scheduled for August 8-9, coronavirus permitting.

AW photographer Mark Shearman first attended a UK national championships in 1963 and has only missed a few since.

Here he shares some of his stand-out shots from years gone by – from the AAA Championships, the forerunner to today’s British Championships, through to more recent events.

Action from Manchester in 2004, as Jason Gardener wins the 100m in 10.22 ahead of Darren Campbell and Mark Lewis-Francis.

Also in Manchester but three years later, Jessica Ennis wins the high jump with a clearance of 1.87m and she won the 100m hurdles on the same day in 13.25.

David Bedford on his way to winning the men’s 10,000m at Crystal Palace in 1973 in a world record of 27:30.80.

Kelly Holmes celebrates 800m victory (1:59.39) in Manchester in 2004, the month before her Olympic 800m and 1500m double in Athens.

At the AAA Championships at London’s White City in 1965, Australia’s Ron Clarke smashes the world 3-mile record, becoming the first man to run the distance in under 13 minutes with a time of 12:52.4.

Four days later in Oslo he would break the world 10,000m record.

In Birmingham in 1998, British record-holder Iwan Thomas wins the 400m in 44.50 ahead of Mark Richardson, with Roger Black finishing fourth.

Denise Lewis in javelin action at the 2004 championships in Manchester, throwing 51.48m.

Peter Elliott wins the 800m at Crystal Palace in 1982, clocking 1:45.61.

Michelle Griffith wins the 2004 triple jump in Manchester with a leap of 13.43m.

Seb Coe (8) and New Zealand’s John Walker (24) race during the 1977 800m at Crystal Palace.

Walker had won the Olympic 1500m the previous year in Montreal and Coe would go on to win the Olympic 1500m three years later in Moscow.

Athletes race in the men’s 5000m at the 2019 championships in front of a stand which would start to be demolished a few days later ahead of redevelopment for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Top image is the women’s 5000m at the Alexander Stadium in 2014.